Champions League 2024-25

[serghei]

Even Pep who was the epitome of Barca DNA has moved on in the same direction. He often plays 4 tall CBs as a back 4. His style of play has evolved a lot to keep up with the times.

He didn't change because football moved on, but because he doesn't have likes of peak Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busi etc. That Barca team in 2011 is hugely a result of the unique generation of players that happened to peak at that moment.

No players of that all time great quality, no Pep's Barca. Pep didn't create any of those stars to be able to recreate it again someplace else. And his style is directly linked to those players. It doesn't exist if no Xavi, no Iniesta, and no Messi, not in that form.

If Pep had combined current City and 2011 Barca squad, he'd sell Haaland and play Messi at False 9 in a heartbeat .

 

[Birdy]

He didn't change because football moved on, but because he doesn't have likes of peak Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busi etc. That Barca team in 2011 is hugely a result of the unique generation of players that happened to peak at that moment.

No players of that all time great quality, no Pep's Barca. Pep didn't create any of those stars to be able to recreate it again someplace else. And his style is directly linked to those players. It doesn't exist if no Xavi, no Iniesta, and no Messi, not in that form.

If Pep had combined current City and 2011 Barca squad, he'd sell Haaland and play Messi at False 9 in a heartbeat .

What a narrow-sighted view...
No, he changed because football moved on.
In his very first season at Bayern he tried to play Barca-ball without Iniesta Xavi and Messi.
This silly narrative that Messi Xavi and Iniesta made Pep must stop

He evolved as football evolved, and you could see that with every passing year of his career and his choices.
2020 is marked point. That's the start of the biggest shift in his approach that I can remember.
Which culminates in the 2022 acquisition of Haaland (younger Pep would never buy someone with that technique),
and the vindication of the change in approach was the 2023 CL title

 

[Iniesta Ultra]

Pep brought Ibra, think he fancies tall strikers for personal reasons. Ofc Ibra didn't take to being his pet like Haaland.

 

[Temptation]

Pep brought Ibra, think he fancies tall strikers for personal reasons. Ofc Ibra didn't take to being his pet like Haaland.

Ibra is anything but blonde so......

 

[stb_1]

Luis Enrique is just proving that Peak Barca of 2012, 2009.. 2015 is probably still the best club side ever.

I often thought, could that Barca overcome some of the modern pressing most teams do, but PSG can.. easily.